One person died and at least 30 were reported missing following a massive fire on December 4 on board an Azeri offshore platform situated in Guneshli field in the Caspian Sea, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) informed .
The rescue operations were hampered by severe weather and rough seas, however; according to SOCAR, 32 people were evacuated successfully out of the total of 63 people who were on board before the fire.
The search and rescue operation of missing persons is underway along with the efforts to extinguish the fire on the platform that has sustained severe damage.
According to reports from Reuters, the fire has taken the toll of at least 32 lives.
“According to our information, 32 workers died, while 42 workers were rescued last night. … The fire on the platform was finally extinguished, ” Reuters cited Mirvari Gakhramanly, head of Azerbaijan’s Oil Workers’ Rights Protection Committee as saying on Saturday.
Based on the latest update from SOCAR, 11 helicopters are searching for the missing workers. SOCAR has also released the names of rescued persons a total of 32, and 29 who are still missing, on their social media accounts.
Authorities in Russia, Iran and Kazakhstan have been asked for assistance as well.
World Maritime News Staff